Waymo Accelerates Autonomous Expansion with Four-City Launch and Global Ambitions

On February 24, 2026, Waymo, the autonomous driving subsidiary of Alphabet, marked a significant milestone by simultaneously deploying its fully driverless robotaxi service across four major American cities. This strategic expansion introduces the service to Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio in Texas, alongside Orlando, Florida. With this move, Waymo's operational footprint in the United States has grown to ten cities, building upon its established presence in Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Austin.

To ensure operational stability and manage initial demand, Waymo is utilizing an invitation-only model for new users in these four regions. Residents can request access through the Waymo app, following a phased rollout strategy that the company has successfully implemented in previous markets. While the service is currently restricted to invited riders, Waymo intends to transition to a full public launch later in 2026. The initial service zones vary by city: Orlando and San Antonio each cover approximately 60 square miles, Dallas spans 50 square miles, and Houston begins with a 25-square-mile focus centered on its urban core.

This aggressive growth trajectory is fueled by a massive capital injection. A February 2026 funding round valued Waymo at a staggering $126 billion, which included a $13 billion investment from its parent company, Alphabet. Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana has set an ambitious target of facilitating over one million trips per week by the conclusion of 2026. This represents a 150% surge from the 400,000 weekly paid trips recorded at the end of 2025. To support this volume, Waymo plans to expand its fleet to roughly 3,500 robotaxis by the end of 2026, an increase from the 2,500 vehicles operating at the close of 2025.

The technological backbone of this expansion is the sixth-generation Waymo Driver system. This latest iteration focuses on efficiency and cost-reduction without compromising safety, featuring a hardware suite with 42% fewer sensors than the fifth generation. The new configuration utilizes 13 cameras (down from 29), four lidars (down from five), and six radar units. Central to this system is a high-resolution 17-megapixel imager designed to handle diverse weather conditions, including winter environments. This technology is the product of extensive real-world testing, with the company having logged nearly 200 million fully autonomous miles across more than ten major U.S. metropolitan areas.

Waymo's market entry strategy continues to evolve through varied partnership models. In Atlanta and Austin, the service remains accessible exclusively via the Uber app, a result of a partnership established in 2025. Conversely, in the newly added cities of Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando, riders must use the proprietary Waymo app. Looking ahead, the company has no plans to slow down; it aims to enter Denver and Washington, D.C., later in 2026, while also making international debuts in London and Tokyo. By the end of the year, Waymo expects to be operational in more than 20 cities globally, maintaining its Level 4 "high automation" status as classified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.